It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my friend and Justice For Greenwood Board Member Emertius William “Bill” Zabel, founding partner of international law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel, now McDermott Will & Schulte.
Bill was more than a legal giant. He was a man of conscience.
For more than six decades, he used the law not only as a profession, but as a moral instrument to protect people who had been silenced, overlooked, or wronged by power. From his work drafting the winning brief in the landmark Loving v. Virginia case to his decades of leadership advancing human rights and defending victims of injustice around the world, Bill embodied the very best of our profession.
When Bill joined the Justice For Greenwood board, it wasn’t because he was looking for another cause. It was because our mission reflected the work he had devoted his life to.
Throughout his career, Bill stood with people whose rights had been denied and whose stories deserved to be heard. He understood that what happened in Greenwood was not simply a tragedy confined to history. It was an unresolved injustice that demanded accountability.
Bill’s commitment to Greenwood began before he ever joined our board.
In February 2021, Schulte Roth & Zabel law firm invited me to speak about Justice For Greenwood and the reparations case I had filed on behalf of the last three living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre during the firm’s annual virtual town hall.
Nearly five hundred people from around the world joined the presentation, making it one of the firm’s largest town hall audiences in years. I did not know that Bill was among those listening.
After everyone else left the call, Bill stayed behind to meet and speak with me.
He was stunned by what he had heard.
“D, how come I didn’t know about this?” he asked. “I can’t believe this happened.”
I explained how the City and County of Tulsa had suppressed the history of the Massacre and told him about our commitment to securing justice for the survivors and families.
Bill’s response was immediate:
“Whatever you need. If you need thirty lawyers, we’re going to give you thirty lawyers. If you need sixty lawyers, we’re going to give you sixty lawyers. Whatever you need, you let me know. We’re going to help you.”
That was Bill. Once he understood an injustice, he did not look away. He acted.
When Bill later joined the Justice For Greenwood board, it was not because he was looking for another cause. It was because our mission reflected the work to which he had devoted his life.
Joining Justice For Greenwood was a natural continuation of the values that had guided his life’s work.
When Bill accepted a position on our board in 2022, he explained exactly why this movement mattered to him:
“Justice For Greenwood is a model for social justice and human rights, creating a platform that will change the way we understand the Tulsa Race Massacre. Of all the causes I have had the privilege to work on throughout my career, this is the most egregious example of blatant and unresolved racial violence and injustice in our nation’s history. We intend to not only bring justice and closure to the victims of the Massacre, but to put an end to the active, racist measures being taken now to prevent this case from moving forward.”
Those were not simply words of support. Bill invested himself fully in this movement. Through his leadership, he helped bring the extraordinary talent and commitment of Schulte Roth & Zabel, now McDermott Will & Schulte, to Justice For Greenwood. The firm’s attorneys stood alongside our legal team in the fight for accountability, reparations, and justice for the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Their partnership strengthened our case, supported our advocacy before the Department of Justice, and helped elevate Greenwood’s story on a national stage.
Bill was the kind of board member every organization hopes for. He asked hard questions. He stayed engaged. He offered his expertise, his wisdom, and his network with humility and conviction. When he spoke about Greenwood, he spoke with the same moral clarity that defined every chapter of his remarkable career.
I will miss Bill’s wise counsel, his passionate support , and his unwavering belief that justice is not a slogan. It is work. His example will continue to shape how we fight and why we must keep going.
On behalf of our entire team and the families we represent, we extend our deepest condolences to Bill’s wife, children, grandchildren, and loved ones, and to everyone at McDermott Will & Schulte and the broader Schulte Roth & Zabel family who had the privilege of calling him a colleague and friend.
The pursuit of justice for Greenwood was one of Bill’s final great causes. We intend to honor his legacy the best way we know how: by continuing the work until truth, accountability, reparations, and repair are no longer aspirations, but realities.
With gratitude and respect,
Damario Solomon-Simmons, Esq., M.Ed.
Chief Legal Counsel and Executive Director